Value Resorts - Which Ones Have Good Grassy Areas?

[Ms_Butterfly]

I've never stayed in a Disney value resort (only the moderate and deluxe ones), but going with a group next year I might because of the price (the rest of the group is going on a cruise before Disney, so need to save some money [I'm not going on the cruise 'cause I don't want to waste the money going to a location I'll just have been to less than a month earlier for a longer time]). It would be nice to stay with the rest of the group, especially since I'll be using Disney transportation and the buses don't go from one resort to another. (I'd prefer to stay at Caribbean Beach, though!) It would be good to have some suggestions to give the person who plans the events.

I've never even seen any of the value resorts, so can anybody tell me which ones have private/semi-private (out of the way in non-busy areas) grassy spots really close to the buildings that I can use for my service dog's potty spot? (I hate when she's trying to potty and ppl are trying to call to her, pet her, etc.!)

Thanks!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Hopefully someone else can help you more than I can. But, I have stayed at all the All-Stars and grassy is definitely not a word that comes to my mind when I think of them. There is landscaping around the buildings, so if you don't need a big area, I think you will be O.K. The best way to avoid people at the All-Stars is to walk away from the pools and the main food court/ bus area. You may want to check out the maps and try to request a building that is along the perimeter. For example, when we stayed at Sports we were in Home Run Hotel. If we looked out front of the hotel - tons of people, when we walked to the parking lot in back of us - we hardly saw anyone.

I don't know if this is helpful at all, but at least it bumps you to the top.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Thanks for the help! I'll see how this all turns out. (I'm still hoping for CBR, but I'm doubting it'll happen....)

 

[SueM in MN]

you might want to check with Special Reservations to see if there are specific pre-determined spots for dog pottying.

Another thing you could do is look at pictures;
Here's a link to a page of pictures of All Star Movies

Here's one of All Star Sports

Here's one of All Star Music

And, Pop Century

from the pictures, it looks like most of grassy areas are close to buildings, so busy might depend more on time of day than anything else.

 

[dclfun]

Pop Century is probably the best due to the grassy walkway around the lake but I've never had a problem at the AS resorts either. I did notice the last time I was at ASSPorts though that they are taking out the grass across from the rooms and putting in mulch and plants- probably due to the grass being difficult to keep up with people traipsing in it. As to SD break areas, I've always taken my SD on the other side of the parking lot where each resort has a grassy embankment. I wouldn't allow her to leave a "gift" near anyone's room or in a travelled public area. If you ask at the desk, you'll be given a suggestion as to the SD break area which is usually away from guest rooms/common areas. If you're close enough to other guests where they can pet your SD or distract her, you're probably not using a suggested break area.---Kathy

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

The problem with "suggested break areas" is they're usually not suggested by disabled ppl or ppl who have put any thought into the process. When I'm at hotels, I potty her in the spot that is best and safest for both of us and is hopefully also not too busy with ppl walking by, but I go for safe and accessible over busy, of course. Pooping is not a problem, as I always pick it up.

Mulch works for us, too, but normally mulched areas at hotels are planted areas, so obviously those don't work 'cause the plants are in the way. That's why I asked about grass. I'll check out the photos and maps, though, thanks both of you!

 

[pezter]

Pop Century is probably the best due to the grassy walkway around the lake area.---Kathy

Pop is better then Allstar for grass last time we stayed there

 

[dclfun]

I've found, so far that the suggested break areas in the resorts are accessible and easy to find whereas it's much more difficult in the parks. Some of us cannot pick up our dog's solid waste, myself included, so in that case I don't want to leave it for someone's toddler to find or to offend another guest. We just go to an outlying area where we've been told a CM will pick it up.---Kathy

 

[scojos]

have you tried google earth, that would give you an over view of the grass?

Tracy

i did this when looking for places for ASD kid to play soccer (he is soccer mad and very good. the idea of none for 2 weeks was un bearable, we are doing POR)

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I've found, so far that the suggested break areas in the resorts are accessible and easy to find whereas it's much more difficult in the parks.

Yeah, most CMs have no clue where the spots in the parks are - some didn't even know there WERE potty spots in the parks! The most helpful CM I found next to Indiana Jones, I think it was. She knew right where is was and personally took me there. For the hotels, I don't want her near moving cars (nor do I want to step up a curb myself) or in a place that is too dark at night (though I do have the PupLight for her and the new LeashLight for the Flexi [that's what I take her pottying on], but that's mostly so I can see where her "droppings" are). Where we went at CBR in May was the best of any hotel I've been to - it was right out our door (although we had to walk a bit to find a trash can) and was a large grassy area and was hidden/separated from the parking lot by a tiny forest of trees. It wasn't too dark at night because I stood on the hallway under the lights and all, plus we were right at our room (also good for lessening pain, especially after a day in the parks).

Some of us cannot pick up our dog's solid waste, myself included, so in that case I don't want to leave it for someone's toddler to find or to offend another guest. We just go to an outlying area where we've been told a CM will pick it up.---Kathy

That makes sense if you can't pick it up. That's nice of them to pick it up for you - that's not required of them to do. I know places where you'd be required to pick up, though. Guess you'd have to have somebody with you or find a stranger to help ya out.

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

have you tried google earth, that would give you an over view of the grass?

I didn't think of that, but that's a great idea! I love Live Search Maps/Microsoft Virtual Earth and Google Maps/Google Earth. It makes me want to put a sign on my roof to tell everybody looking at it, "Hello!"

 

[dclfun]

Just as an FYI for people who can't pick up their dog's waste, it is a reasonable accomodation to NOT have to pick it up in your community, etc. and you can get a written exemption. The reason people have SD's is to be more independent and if you couldn't have a dog because you can't pick up waste, then it wouldn't make much sense to have one in the first place. Lots of quadriplegics and those with upper body or even balance issues have such an exemption in their community so that they aren't dependent on another person, esp. where another person might not be available or even exist.---Kathy

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I know it is an accommodation to not pick it up, but it isn't an accommodation for a CM/hotel worker to pick it up. That's what I was getting at.

By the way, have you looked into using the poop bag harness that some guide dog users use that attaches to the dog's butt? The dog poops right into the bag, attached to the pooping harness, and then you just have to dispose of the bag and take the harness off the dog. This helps blind and visually impaired ppl because they can't or have a hard time seeing the poop and it can also help mobility impaired ppl who can't bend or lean over to pick up poop off the ground.

 

[dclfun]

Personally I couldn't remove a harness or dispose of a bag so the exemption works well for me. I've never had a problem at WDW and have always had someone offer to pick up the waste even without showing any paperwork from my county that I have an exemption. I guess they have a person that picks up other waste- cigarette butts, trash, dropped food, and that person probably is assigned my SD's waste which we leave in a designated area away from other guests. Someone has to be responsible to pick it up even in the parks and thus if I'm travelling solo I'd much rather it be a CM than to even think about asking a guest. I'm sure many people just leave it without even asking for assistance or perhaps even needing assistance.---Kathy

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

Yeah, sadly I'm sure there are ppl who leave their dog's (be it SD or pet) doodoos behind when they are very capable of picking them up. I don't get why some ppl just don't care! (I bet they'd care if THEY were the ones who stepped in it!)